What are the symptoms of ringworm in cats? How to treat ringworm in cats?

Ringworm is a type of skin ringworm that occurs on cats, which is mostly caused by malnutrition or poor health. Because ringworm can be contagious to humans, cat owners must take protective measures during the treatment process. Ringworm in cats can be effectively treated with drugs such as clotrimazole ointment or tinea solution. Here we will introduce the symptoms and treatment of ringworm in cats.

1. What is ringworm?

Ringworm is more common in malnourished and sickly cats. Increasing nutrition, especially B vitamins intake, is helpful in preventing the disease and the recovery of infected cats. There are two types of fungi that infect cats, namely Microsporum canis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. 98% of them are Microsporum canis. As the disease evolves, it becomes irritating, dry, circular macules (ringworm).

Because ringworm in cats can be transmitted to humans, attention should be paid to disinfection. Cat owners should take oral multivitamins for prevention.

2. Treatment Methods

To treat ringworm in cats, it is best to clean the affected area first and wipe off the dandruff. It is also best to wipe off any hard scabs. But don't rub it hard, as it will break the skin. Then cut off the hair on the affected area, so that the medicine can penetrate into the skin more directly and avoid the spread of fungi. Then apply the medicine. The area of ​​application should be slightly larger than the area where the ringworm occurs. This can prevent the spread and inhibit the small amount of fungus that may have spread to the surrounding area. If you apply the medicine every day, you will see good results in 2 weeks, and it will be completely healed in less than a month. It should also be noted that humid, high-temperature, and unventilated environments are prone to breed fungi. It is better to keep the cat's environment dry and ventilated. The other thing is that cat’s utensils need to be disinfected regularly.

3. Treatment drugs

There are two main medications used: clotrimazole ointment and tinea solution. The former is in paste form, which is applied to the affected area to isolate oxygen and is very effective in completely killing the fungus. The latter is specially for animals and is also very effective.

It has now been discovered that there are five types of fungi that can cause skin diseases in dogs and cats, including Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum audouinensis and Microsporum proteus. Among them, Microsporum canis is the most common, followed by Microsporum gypseum.

70% of ringworm in dogs and cats is caused by Microsporum canis, which mainly forms round scabs on the skin and can occur throughout the year. Microsporum canis mainly causes tinea capitis in humans. Microsporum gypseum lives in the soil and humans are also susceptible. The disease is relatively acute and the lesions are severe, sometimes causing large areas of skin lesions. It is easy to be infected by bacteria and cause local exudative suppuration. After turning into a chronic disease, it can last for months or even years. Microsporum audouinensis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes are generally transmitted from humans to dogs and cats, and are unlikely to be transmitted from dogs and cats to humans. The former mainly causes tinea capitis in children, and the latter is the main pathogen of tinea pedis in the United States.